Voltakran Legion
In a society as patriarchal as that of the Sangheili, it is rare to find an entirely female military unit of such renown and prowess as the Voltakran Legion. originally a small militia unit during the First Voltakran Uprising, it expanded quickly, and by the Second Voltakran Occupation, it was a full military unit with up to four thousand members. Today, the Legion serves as a ceremonial guard and defence force for Sanctum of Virtue, the location of the Kaaran League conclave, and has garrisons in thirty nine nations, also serving as a missionary for the destitute, impoverished or cast out females of Kaaranese society, from whom the Legion recruits a considerable number each year. History Voltakra has had little in the way of military success. The Morhekan Empire never reached that far east of the continent, but most of its population are descendants of refugees driven out of western lands conquered by Morheka, and there has historically been little love of the nation among Voltakrans since then. During the Buashe'eran occupation, though, Morheka and the Trinity of Light provided training and arms to Voltakran resistance groups, improving their combat skills and teaching them guerilla warfare techniques that would hamper the Duashe'eran military's ability to keep the populace under control. Nevertheless, even then females were for the most part overlooked as a potential source for recruitment, the prevailing belief being that they were unsuited to warfare, or that it was something they should be spared from. That the Voltakran females would have wanted to fight for their country seems not to have occured to the leaders - there are virtually hundreds of cases where females dressed as young men, entering the military under pseudonyms and fighting for the cause, all the time ignored by the leaders who believed them too weak to take part. Even after the war, and the establishment of a permanent militia, females were a rarity, and frustrations with the established male-dominated military led to the formation of a totally separate movement, the Knights of Eldra. Taking their name from a Voltakran patron-spirit of knowledge and wisdom, the founders were all females, intent on at the very least teaching the Voltakran women skills that would ensure that they would be able to take part in the defence of their homeland should it be invaded again, as it later would. Recruitment was far more than they had anticipated, however, and within a few decades they had gathered enough members to form a whole legion. Though reluctant, Morheka provided training and equipment to the legion, and the women would prove themselves a terrible and fearsome military force during the Border Skirmishes, where localised Eldran militia groups engaged raiding patrols of Duashe'eran soldiers. Confused at taking fire from females, who they had been taught were easy prey, the Knights of Eldra gained a significant reputation, and the women of Voltakra were joined by recruits from other nearby areas. Other nations raised their own all-female military units, or at the least dropped the all-male restrictions of their own militaries. Within a single lifetime, the Knights of Eldra had done more to establish the rights of Kaaranese females than the suffragette movement of Earth had. After the conclusion of the Second Duashe'eran Occupation, and the sighting of the Kaaranese Armistice Accords, the military of most of the smaller nations were disbanded, or incorporated into those of the larger patron nations that governed their regions. The Knights of Eldra had always been separate from the regular military, however, and outlasted the Voltakran Permanent Militia. In the post-reformation years, the Knights would relocate to Sanctum of Virtue, a city near the Quenyathar Valley, where they would engage in a number of works - protection of the nearby ruins from would-be graverobbers, law enforcement of the city itself, and ceremonial duties at the university and government palace, eventually coming to be known just as the Voltakran Legion, now the last military unit to originate from the nation. The Legions influence has been widespread, and there are a number of international "garrisons," allowing membership by females of other nations. These garrisons do a lot of work in the poorer districts, helping families affected by poverty, also recruiting members. Since the Kaaranese Armistice Accords, the Legion saw no combat until the Great Schism, when they once again took to the field of battle. The idea of fighting female Sangheili amused many Jiralhanae, until they realised that they were fighting a well-organised, ferocious and strategically brilliant enemy. The Voltakran Legion would also serve offworld, the first time it had done so, when it took part in the invasion of the Jiralhanae colony of Unmoving Virtue. During the War of Vengeance, the Voltakran Legion would take part a number of battles, including the Second Battle of Ketesh, the defence of Cloistering Expectancy, and the Lefenyal Skirmishes, gaining much honour and renown among the Sangheili in general. They would establish their first Sanghelios "garrison" in 2557, struggling in the face of the patriarchal Sanghelios society, but making much headway. Traditions Since the legion ceased to be a permanent military unit for general combat, this has allowed them to specialise, often assassinating political or religious figures that have earned the ire of their customers - most often for corruption and greed, given that the Legion generally doesn't accept contracts against "good" people. Even those with the most positive reputations will have it tarnished in death - people know that the Voltakran Legion is thorough, and if the had been approved as suitable targets then they . In assassination missions, the Legionaires are able to make use of a variety of makeshift implements, able to use virtually any item as a weapon. Like the Ninja of Japan, most of their common weapons were formerly garden tools, adopted as ad hoc defensive weapons able to be concealed as gardening equipment. Though proficient with all major weapon types, Voltakran Legionaires specialise in the use of the Torgu, a type of Kaaranese short sword used for close combat. After the arrival of the Covenant, the Torgu was adopted as the basis for the Energy Sword, though the Voltakran Legion still uses the traditional material, forged steel - each warrior forges their own weapons and instruments, symbolising their individuality and dependence upon them for survival. Since the conclusion of war on the continent, the legion has become the official honour guard for Sanctum of Virtue, a semi-independent city-state east of Morheka, just outside of the Quenyathar Valley, where they perform ceremonial duties for the cities leadership and protect the government buildings and infrastructure from assassins and thieves. The Legion also serves as protection at the Quenyathar Relic itself, though after the Schism this duty was once again returned to the Cult of Quenyathar in their return to their ancient homeland. The Legion still retains a presence, honoured by the Cult for their service to the relics protection, but the actual protection of the relic has been taken over by the warrior caste of the Cult. Exactly what is being protected has always been up for debate - the relic itself is actually quite robust, resistant to most weapons fire, but many of the tunnels and catacombs inside are rumoured to contain unfounhd relics of the Forerunners. Grave robbers have always found this a tempting prize, but none have actually succeeded - either stopped by the Legion, or never to emerge, presumably lost to whatever security system the relic has. Even as the official guardians, the Legion refused to enter the relic. The Voltakran legion also serves as the regional law enforcement for Sanctum of Virtue and its surrounding territory, working in a mutually beneficial relationship with the government. In return for these duties, the Legion has been adopted as the official defence force of the region. The Legion's law enforcement duties allow them many privileges - the information gathered by the law enforcement sections of the legion has proved useful to the assassination section's duties, and their authority was extended across the continent by consent of the Kaaranese League, allowing them to pursue investigations into other nations. This has put them in a unique position, and while each nation maintains their own local watch, the Legion has been a more effective force. Ranks Quotes *"My sister joined the Legion some time ago, and has since become a Covenant Field Master. My Sanghelios compatriots believe that I am ashamed to be upstaged by a female - I couldn't be any more proud of little Juno 'Kotarqee!" *"I guess they're like the Swiss Guard guarding the Vatican. Its pretty much the only military Voltakra has!" *"Its been three hundred years since they took to the field of battle, and the fact that most still fear them is a testament to their reputation and skill. The fact that they're rumoured to conduct political assasinations has nothing to do with it..."